The two components are separated in equipment which includes, on either side of an injection chamber, a coalescence chamber in which the dispersed component is separated from the principal component, and a collecting chamber for collecting the dispersed component (which is generally the lighter of the two) said collecting chamber being disposed above the injection chamber. In some equipment where separation takes place in a cylindrical tank, the dispersed component, once separated, is then transferred via funnels which make the coalescence chamber communicate with the collecting chamber.
However, such equipment is so designed that, to enter the coalescence chamber, the flow of injected mixture crosses the whole of the dispersed component at high speed, said dispersed component being separated in the coalescence chamber during its migration towards the collecting chamber via the funnels. This causes a new partial dispersion and thus reduces the efficiency of the coalescence chamber. Further, the injector, which is small and to one side forces the mixture to diffuse centripetally and not very homogenously. This is not favourable to preliminary separation by the cyclone effect. Further, the inclination of the coalescence plates does not always lead to proper operation thereof, especially when the viscosity of the dispersed liquid is high.
Preferred embodiments of the invention provide a separator for separating a mixture of two liquids whose design remedies the aforementioned drawbacks while being simple to produce and having little bulk.